Earth’s unusually large Moon may have formed in just five hours following a cataclysmic collision with a Mars-sized protoplanet named Theia, according to new high-resolution computer simulations published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. The findings reshape the long-standing giant impact hypothesis by demonstrating that the physical strength and temperature of early planetary bodies played a … Read more
The joint ESA and JAXA BepiColombo spacecraft has officially initiated its arrival phase at Mercury, following the successful separation of its Mercury Transfer Module on September 3, 2026, after a 7.2-year journey across billions of kilometers, according to mission controllers. This critical milestone sets the stage for the composite spacecraft to enter orbit around the … Read more
Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have discovered a growing decagon-shaped wave around Saturn’s south pole, revealing a 10-sided storm that developed between 2023 and 2025. According to a paper published in Science Advances, this newly spotted southern feature contrasts sharply with the famous six-sided hexagonal storm that has persisted on Saturn’s north pole for … Read more
The most powerful Northern Lights display in a generation exposed weaknesses and large gaps in the United Kingdom’s infrastructure, prompting experts to issue 14 targeted recommendations to safeguard power grids, satellites, and aviation against future space weather events, according to findings presented at the Royal Astronomical Society’s National Astronomy Meeting in Birmingham. May 2024 Geomagnetic … Read more
A rare Martian meteorite discovered in the Sahara desert is helping scientists bridge a nearly two-billion-year gap in the Red Planet’s geological history, according to research published in the journal Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. Designated Northwest Africa (NWA) 13441, the 0.03-ounce sample was found in Algeria in 2019 and dates back 1.27 billion years, offering … Read more
High-resolution images captured by the Very Large Telescope and the Large Binocular Telescope reveal that the E-type asteroid (44) Nysa features three connected lobes and a newly discovered satellite, according to findings detailed by Dr. Kate Minker and her colleagues. Observed on February 15, 2026, the 80-kilometer-wide main belt asteroid displays an enstatite-like surface composition … Read more
According to research published in Science Advances on July 23, 2026, rocks collected from the Moon’s far side by China’s Chang’e-6 mission show that the early Solar System’s asteroid bombardment faded slowly over billions of years rather than ending in a single catastrophic spike. Scientists analyzed tiny impact-melt rock fragments to reconstruct more than three … Read more
Astronomers have reclassified the near-Earth object (875163) 1998 SH2 as a comet following observations that revealed outgassing, a process previously masked by its asteroid-like appearance. According to research published in Nature Astronomy by Dr. Davide Farnocchia and his team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the object’s unexpected orbital deviations confirmed it is venting gas, leading … Read more
Astronomers have identified LHS 1140b as a rocky exoplanet with a helium-rich atmosphere, marking the first clear evidence of a potentially habitable planet with an atmosphere. According to a study published in the journal Science, the planet resides in its star’s habitable zone, where temperatures allow for the existence of liquid water. LHS 1140b: A … Read more
Solar storm risks to Earth’s infrastructure may be significantly underestimated because there is no known upper limit to how the planet responds to solar wind, according to a study published in Nature. Research led by Nithin Sivadas of NASA and Maria Walach from Lancaster University suggests that previous beliefs in a “leveling off” of atmospheric … Read more